UNAIR NEWS – The innovation of using cigarette butts as hydroponic medium and biopesticides led the Students Creativity Program (PKM) Team of Universitas Airlangga to pass the selection and receive funding from the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education. The idea was rooted in the lower classes’ complaints.
The PKM-PM (Community Service) team consists of Niken Agustina, David Vincentius, Evan Gabriel Nababan, Fany Zumrotul Faizah, and M. Rofiqi Azmi. Representing the team, Niken expressed her gratitude to the supervising lecturer, Mochammad Zakki Fahmi SSi MSi Ph.D., for providing guidance.
Ineffective PKK program
Niken explained that the complaints of the community in Purut village, Lumbang sub-district, Probolinggo were caused by the 60 percent of the community are farm workers. The limited land encouraged Mrs. Hayati, one of the locals, to use some part of her land for hydroponic vegetable cultivation.
“However, the cultivation failed due to her limited information and knowledge,” said the Chemistry student of the UNAIR Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science (FST) on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
Mrs. Hayati is a member of the Family Welfare Program (PKK) in Purut village, Probolinggo. As 21 out of 24 total members of PKK are housewives with no income, the program runs ineffectively.
The ninth point of the PKK program on environmental sustainability has not been implemented properly in Purut village due to the scattered cigarette butts. “The waste from cigarette butts can be used,” she added.
Cigarette butts as hydroponic medium
UNAIR community service team provides the solution to increasing the economics of Purut village, Probolinggi by using cigarette butts. They arrange a Hydroplant Yuk: Innovative Program for Hydroponic Media Systems and Biopesticides Based on Cigarette Butts Waste to Empower PKK Women in Purut village.
The idea for the PKMPM program is expected to inform and educate the members of PKK in transforming waste to have economic value. The program is hoped to encourage them to build sustainable entrepreneurship through the establishment of Posdaya Terpadu (Family Empowerment Center).
“Hopefully, the program will help improve the soft skill of PKK members and provides an outlook to create more creative programs that will increase the income of each family in Purut village,” she hoped.
Once the program has been accomplished, the Jombang-origin student advised the local partners to continue the program independently and promote the Posdaya which has been established as the unique identity of the village of Purut. “The PKK members are enthusiastic about the program. We hope the PKM program could run well,” said Niken.
Author: Sandi Prabowo
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh
